Chicago Bears prioritize defense, selecting Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker with their first 2 NFL draft picks

When the time finally came for new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles to enter the 2022 NFL draft — after 38 players had been selected and a dozen trades were made league-wide — the team’s draft board at Halas Hall pointed Poles to a defensive prospect.

In the second round Friday, Poles made Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon his first pick as a GM and the headliner of the Bears’ 2022 draft class. A little more than 45 minutes later, Poles stayed on that side of the ball with the No. 48 pick, adding Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker to the new defense being installed by coach Matt Eberflus.

So much for any urgency to get young quarterback Justin Fields help early in the draft with a playmaking receiver or needed offensive line support. Instead, Poles used his two second-round picks to add two potential Week 1 starters to the defensive backfield.

Gordon played three seasons in the Pac-12 but only started as a junior at Washington in 2021. The expectation is he will quickly emerge as a starter in Eberflus’ defense and plug an obvious hole in the secondary.

Gordon has drawn praise from talent evaluators for his toughness and vision and, perhaps most of all, his versatility to be play both outside and in the slot.

Francis St. Paul, the Bears’ area scout in the West, labeled Gordon an “elite mover.”

“His change of direction. His feet. (His) ball skills,” St. Paul said. “That stuck out.”

Gordon was also a special teams standout in college and has proven to be a willing and physical tackler. He grew up participating in martial arts and all sorts of traveling competitive dance — from ballet to jazz to lyrical.

Ballet, Gordon said, may have been the most demanding, requiring him to improve his flexibility, his core strength and his attention to detail, all things that have helped him as a football player.

“(I remember) how strict, honestly, a lot of teachers were in how they want you to perfect your craft and whatever choreography that may be,” Gordon said. “It’s tough. They just demand perfection.

“I’ve got a little bit of that in me, too. Just trying to do what I do and perfect my craft.”

St. Paul sees the dance influence in Gordon’s football skill set.

“You see it in his balance,” he said. “You see it in his change of direction.”

Still, Gordon’s two interceptions last season were the only two of his career. And some evaluators wonder if he can overcome a lack of top-tier speed at the next level.

Gordon’s 40-yard dash time of 4.52 seconds at the scouting combine in March may have been a significant moment on his pre-draft runway. If that ordinary time gave other teams pause, for the Bears it generated a few fist pumps and a small celebration.

“We were like, ‘Uh oh, we may have a chance (to draft him) now,’” St. Paul said. “He plays way faster than that time. And you see it all the time. There are a lot of players that don’t run as fast as we’re all expecting but they play faster. And he has great play speed.”

Brisker, meanwhile, spent extensive time with the Bears in recent months, first during an interview at the combine and later on a top-30 visit to Halas Hall. His purpose left an impression.

“He’s very direct,” Bears scout Chris Prescott said. “You feel a presence about him. When you meet him, it’s just a good feeling. You feel a tough, hard-nosed kid. … Football is his life. This is this kid’s life. So there’s a lot to like when you see a guy who is so passionate about football.”

Prescott appreciates Brisker’s toughness and sees his value to the defense as a player who can be impactful inside the box but still be dependable in coverage.

“He’s kind of a good chess piece,” Prescott said. “A lot of moving parts. You can play him close to the line of scrimmage and he can come up and play the run and fit in there. But he can also revert and you flip him back where he has enough speed and range and good enough eyes where he can go locate the ball and play the ball well.”

The Bears entered the draft with six selections and a boatload of roster needs. So just about anything they did Friday night would have qualified as need-based. Still, the early emphasis on defense won’t sit well with pockets of the fan base given the need to catalyze Fields’ development as soon as possible.

The Bears waited until the third round to add an offensive player, using the 71st pick on speedy Tennessee receiver Velus Jones, who will also arrive with the potential to become the team’s new kickoff returner. The Bears will have additional opportunities to add talent and depth on Saturday, currently owning a fifth-round pick plus two more in the sixth.